Icy mix bearing down on Eastern Iowa

A winter storm that has contributed to at least six traffic deaths and numerous crashes as it blasts across the nation is forecast to drop a thin sheet of ice across the Corridor by Monday morning, turning travel treacherous.

Much of the area, which saw the storm start to arrive Sunday, is under a winter weather advisory until noon, according to the National Weather Service.

'A wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain is possible before quickly changing to freezing rain,” a weather service advisory said.

Ice accumulation is expected to a quarter of an inch or less, the weather service said - more than enough to make untreated roadways and sidewalks hazardous.

'If you don't have to travel, please don't,” said Sgt. Nathan Ludwig, a spokesman for the Iowa State Patrol.

He said the patrol won't be adding more troopers to the roads because of the storm, but will be available to help.

'Ice is definitely worse than snow,” he said. 'Even though the roadways may appear clear, they definitely can be deceiving.”

Ludwig said drivers should be sure to do three things if on the road: buckle up, slow down and put down the cellphone.

Because of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the roads should be less busy than usual Monday because many public school districts and government offices in Iowa planned to be closed.

The storm already has brought ice and freezing rain to a large swath of the central United States, causing power outages from northeast New Mexico to central Illinois.

Ice storm warnings and winter weather advisories were in effect for parts of as many as 10 states in the central and Upper Midwest, the weather service said.

The storm, dubbed Jupiter by the weather service, was expected to have its most severe impacts in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri.

Since Friday, the storm has contributed to three traffic deaths in Missouri and one in Oklahoma, Reuters reported, citing local media accounts. Two died in Kansas, according to a report from the Weather Channel, citing the Kansas State Patrol.

In south-central Nebraska, a section of Interstate 80 was temporarily closed because of a fiery crash involving two semi-trailer trucks, according to the Nebraska State Patrol. Neither driver was injured.

The weather service said Monday morning's freezing precipitation in Eastern Iowa will turn 'to plain rain” later in the day, which will melt areas of ice that accumulated.

Monday is expected to bring a high of 36 in the Corridor.

Reuters contributed to this report.